


Cozy for Christmas

by meils121



Category: Leverage
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Multi, Snowed In
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-18
Updated: 2018-12-18
Packaged: 2019-09-21 15:24:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17046167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meils121/pseuds/meils121
Summary: Eliot, Parker, and Hardison are snowed in at a remote cabin for Christmas.  None of them mind one bit.





	Cozy for Christmas

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Roshwen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Roshwen/gifts).



          Parker squeals when they pull around the last curve of the gravel driveway.  “It’s a log cabin!”  She shouts.  “It’s so - Christmassy!”

          Her door is open before Eliot even finishes putting the car in park.  He and Hardison watch, amused, as Parker rushes up the path.  She doesn’t bother waiting for Eliot to tell her where the key is.  The lock is picked in a matter of seconds, and Parker disappears into the cabin.

          “Think she likes it?”

          “Man, this is like the perfect present.”  Eliot says.  “You killed it with this one.”

          They unload the car, pulling suitcases and three large sacks of presents out of the car and bringing them into the cabin.  Parker flies out of the bedroom to meet them.  

          “This is amazing.”  She cheers, yanking both of them into a hug.  “This is going to be the best Christmas ever.”  Just as quickly, her smile is replaced with a frown.  “We don’t have a Christmas tree.”

          “There’s a Christmas tree farm down the road.”  Eliot says.  “Once we unpack -”  He trails off, because Parker has already rushed back outside.  “Or we can go now.”

          The perfect tree - hidden in the back of the tree lot, surrounded by several _very_ prickly trees - takes an hour for Parker to find.  Eliot has to admit, though, that it is pretty damn close to being the actual perfect tree - round and full and tall, with plenty of room for the suitcase of ornaments Parker had insisted on lugging along on the trip (because “We can’t have a Christmas tree without ornaments, and we can’t have Christmas without a Christmas tree”).  He’s pretty impressed with her ability to pick out Christmas trees.  He’s less impressed with the fact she leaves him to figure out how to strap the damn thing to the top of the rental car.

          Parker claps her hands when they have the tree up on the stand back inside the cabin.  “I love it.”  She sighs.  She leans her head on Hardison’s shoulder and interlaces her fingers with Eliot’s.  “This is gonna be the best Christmas ever.”

          The afternoon is filled with Christmas carols, Hardison’s bad singing, and more stolen jewels than anyone - even a thief - should have.  It’s not until the tree is decorated and Hardison offers to go into town to get Chinese takeout for dinner that they realize what’s been going on outside.

          It’s been snowing steadily the entire afternoon, the tiny little flakes from earlier giving way to heavy, wet snow that’s already piled up a good eight or so inches.  Hardison takes one look outside and starts shaking his head.

          “Nope.  No way I’m driving in that.”  

          Eliot - who has spent more time in snowy climates than he’d like to talk about - glances out the window.  “Were we supposed to get a storm?”  He asks as he pulls on his coat (because they’ve already placed their order, and he’s not about to give up on Lo Mein).  

          “Uh…”  Hardison consults his phone.  “Yeah.  Missed that somehow.  We’re gonna get - up to three feet by noon tomorrow?  That can’t be right.”

          “Welcome to Maine.”  Eliot says.

          It takes less time than he thought it would to make his way into town, mostly because they take snow seriously up here and have already been plowing and salting the roads.  When he returns, the other two have found a Christmas movie marathon on TV, starting with Elf.  Eliot wonders, not for the first time, if Parker was raised on the North Pole, given that her diet seems to resemble Buddy’s pretty damn closely.  

          By the time they decide to go to bed (after Elf, A Christmas Story, and a British animated movie that Parker declares her new favorite), the snow has piled up even more.  Eliot’s briefly concerned, but it’s not like they’ve got anywhere to go tomorrow anyways.  The fridge is stocked and they’ve got enough hot chocolate to make it at least a couple days.  

          “Merry Christmas Eve.”  Parker says dreamily as they untangle themselves from the pile of blankets she had constructed to watch the movies in.  

          “Merry Christmas Eve.”  Hardison says, Eliot echoing him seconds later.

          The cabin’s bed is in a loft that overlooks the living room below.  It’s got a giant king bed that’s almost big enough to fit the three of them (if Parker didn’t talk in her sleep so much and if Eliot wasn’t a blanket hog and if Hardison didn’t have a bad habit of snoring loudly).  Parker insists they wear the matching PJs Sophie bought them for Christmas a couple years ago, and Eliot and Hardison only put up a bit of a fight - because it is Christmas Eve, and Parker looks so excited.  And because, as ridiculous as they look, footie PJs are cozy warm.  

          It’s warm bordering on too hot underneath all the covers, but it feels cozy snuggled in with his two best friends, so Eliot doesn’t complain when Hardison pulls up another blanket.  

          He wakes up sometime in the early morning absolutely _freezing_.  When he breathes out, his breath lingers in the air.  

          Heat’s out, then.  Great.  He pushes Hardison’s arm off his chest and slips out from under the covers.  Time to get a fire going.  At least the cabin has a huge fireplace with plenty of wood stacked up both inside and out.  

          Once the fire’s going, Eliot takes a moment to glance outside.  And then he looks again, because he can’t quite believe his eyes.  It’s snowed at least two feet since they went to bed.  The snow is practically up to the window ledge.  There’s no way they’re going to be able to get outside anytime soon.  

          With the power out, there are limited options for food.  Eliot decides to make hot chocolate over the fireplace, scrounging up the necessary equipment from the cabin’s well-stocked pantry.  He’s just about finished warming up the milk when Parker appears overhead.  

          “Did Santa come?”  She asks with a smile on her face.  “And why is it so cold?”

          “Heat’s out.”  Eliot says.  “Power too.  But it’s warm enough by the fire.  Wake Hardison up and we can open presents.”

          Parker grins and disappears, though Eliot can hear her waking up Hardison.  A few minutes later, they both make their way downstairs.  Hardison accepts a mug of hot chocolate and settles in under a blanket on the couch.  Parker takes her mug and dumps what appears to be half a bag of marshmallows on top before plopping down next to the Christmas tree.  

          “My presents first!”  Parker says.  She sets the hot chocolate aside and rummages beneath the tree for a moment before emerging with two wrapped boxes.  She hands one to Eliot and the other to Hardison.  

          The floor is soon covered in wrapping paper.  Eliot’s given a new set of pastry tools - something he’s been eyeing for a couple months now.  Parker squeals in excitement over a brand-new climbing rig that’s supposed to be top-of-the-line.  Hardison gets several new video games he’s been talking about for weeks.  There are smaller presents too, new gloves and cookie cutters and candy canes and a wallet that Parker claims is as thief proof as possible.  

          The room is just starting to get light, the sun trying to peek out from behind the heavy storm clouds, when they finish unwrapping.  Parker gets up off the floor and wiggles her way in between Eliot and Hardison on the couch.  

          “Best Christmas ever.”  She declares.  “Even if we can’t get outside to go sledding.”

          “There’s always tomorrow.”  Eliot tells her.  

          “Besides,”  Hardison says, “the Santa Clause is on right now.”

          They may be stuck inside this cabin for the next day or two, but none of them really mind that much.  Christmas has been just about perfect, snow storm or not.

 


End file.
